Harpley, Houghton and the Massinghams won the small village trophy for the first time after the four communities joined forces for the first time, pipping the Tilneys into second place.

Terrington joint manager Cheryl Thompson said: “We won last year, so we’re really pleased to come back and retain the title.

“We weren’t so sure this year because we’ve got some good teams in this year. We know Dersingham, we knew they’d put up a strong fight.”

Julie Austin, joint manager of Harpley, Houghton and the Massinghams, said: “It’s the first time we’ve joined Harpley, Great Massingham, Little Massingham and Houghton, it’s just brilliant to be combined.

The Inter Village Games in King's Lynn. Picture: Ian Burt

“The senior netball team, the junior bowls and the rounders team beat all the medium villages as well.”

Both winners and second-placed teams will enter the regional final in Norwich in two weeks’ time.

Feltwell narrowly missed out in the medium villages, coming third with 39 points. Heacham came fourth, with 38, GLEAM (Gayton, Leziate, East Winch, Ashwicken and Middleton) fifth, with 37, West Winch and the Walpoles came joint sixth, with 23 and the Wiggenhalls eighth, with 21.

Competitors took part in a variety of indoor and outdoor sports at Lynnsport, ranging from darts to five-a-side. Heavy rain delayed the start of the rounders.

There was a round of applause before results were announced in memory of Geoff Sturgeon, who recently passed away from cancer, who organised the badminton tournament at the games for 24 years.

West Norfolk mayor Barry Ayres said the team work and cameraderie generated by the event were “incredibly valuable” to West Norfolk.